Campbell’s goal in final minute lifts first-place Wranglers

Former teammates and roommates at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Barry Goers and Scott Campbell helped rescue the Wranglers from a potential loss to the ECHL's worst team Friday at Orleans Arena.

Pacific Division-leading Las Vegas trailed Bakersfield early in the third period, but Goers scored his first goal of the season to tie the game at 3-all at the 9:19 mark.

Campbell then netted the winning goal, his second of the night, with 16 seconds left to give the Wranglers a 4-3 win.

Campbell, a rookie, buried the rebound on a rush to the net after a blast by Ryan Weston.

"We've been stressing taking shots off pads and getting a play off the rebound," Campbell said. "I was fortunate for (the puck) to come right up to me and I was able to beat the back checker and put it home."

The Condors, who have only won once in their last 15 games, nearly tied it with five seconds left, but Tyler Kindle's slap shot clanged off the crossbar.

"It's a good lesson for us," Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said after his team improved to 15-7-4. "We dictated a lot of the play, but they got four or five quality scoring chances and scored on three of them, and they should've scored at the end of the game."

Robby Dee provided all the offense for the Condors, scoring in each period for a hat trick. He gave Bakersfield (6-18-3) a 3-2 lead at 1:57 of the third when he buried a rebound.

Goers, a defenseman who recruited Campbell to the Wranglers, tied it on a wrist shot from the left circle after assists by Josh Lunden and Judd Blackwater, who is third in the league in scoring with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists).

Ash Goldie gave Las Vegas a 1-0 lead at 2:45 of the first, but Dee answered with two straight goals to give the Condors a 2-1 edge at 6:58 of the second.

Campbell made it 2-2 midway through the second on a play set up by Adam Miller, who skated around the net and slid the puck across the crease for an easy tap-in.

Campbell is fifth on the Wranglers in scoring with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists).

"It's nice to see Soupy get rewarded for how smart he is. He's just an extremely cerebral, bright hockey player," Mougenel said. "I don't know how much longer we'll have him here because I think the secret's out. He's a phenomenal young player."

Joe Fallon (12-4-4) made 15 saves for Las Vegas, which won its fifth straight home game.

The Wranglers outshot the Condors 13-3 in the first period and 30-18 overall.

■ NOTES -- Las Vegas left wing Eric Lampe, who leads the ECHL in goals with 20 in 24 games, has been loaned to Lake Erie of the American Hockey League. ... Wranglers center Pete MacArthur, riding a 10-game point streak, is out with a broken rib.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.